Chapter 323: Each Side’s Arrangement

Chapter 323: Each Side's Arrangement

Inside the Rain Village, in a tall tower.

A dimly lit room housed a large round table.

Flickering oil lamps hung on the walls, their glass covers shielding them from the damp wind sneaking in through cracks in the doors. The central flame burned quietly, occasionally sputtering, casting a faint glow that barely dispelled the gloom.

Around the massive table sat seven or eight figures. Some were faint projections, barely discernible silhouettes indicating their presence. Others were physically present in the room.

At the head of the table sat three young individuals.

Among them, the one with orange hair at the center clearly held command.

Had Tonari been present, he'd instantly recognize them as the founding members of Akatsuki: Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan.

However, unlike before, their robes were no longer plain black. Now, they were embroidered with blood-red clouds.

"This concludes our plan. If anyone has questions, speak now. It's best we settle everything here," Yahiko declared with the air of a leader.

"What's the point of all this? Saving the world?" a shadowy voice asked.

The speaker was a hunched figure, broad-shouldered, his face mostly obscured by a mask and hat. Only his eyes were visible.

"Exactly. Our goal is to save this world, to bring true peace. To restore everything people once cherished—to bring it all back! That's why we've come together. For this shared ideal."

Yahiko's eyes burned with conviction, as if the peaceful world he described was already within reach.

The hunched man glanced toward a woman seated beside him, then said no more.

"Two have already been handled. The rest of you—carry out your tasks quickly. Time is not on our side," Yahiko continued.

"I've provided everyone with the targets and their locations," added Zetsu, his voice raspy, body partially obscured by vegetation.

"Be careful, all of you," said another figure, his outline barely visible, but the massive sword on his back gave away his identity.

Suddenly, Nagato stood up and looked toward the entrance. "No need. He's already here."

Everyone froze.

A cloaked man emerged from the shadows. "This is enough. It's not time to confront him yet."

He wore an orange, spiral-patterned mask with only his right eye visible—Uchiha Obito.

Nagato looked at him and frowned. "I don't have to fear him anymore."

Obito activated his Mangekyō Sharingan. "It's not about fear. It's about the plan. Stick to it."

Yahiko placed a hand on Nagato's shoulder. "He's right. You haven't reached your full potential yet. There's no point in rushing into confrontation."

Nagato remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "I understand."

Yahiko turned to Obito. "Please, senior."

Obito didn't respond, but a swirling vortex opened from his right eye, sucking in Yahiko, Nagato, and Konan one by one.

As they disappeared, the remaining projections around the table vanished too, leaving only Obito and Zetsu.

"Obito, looks like controlling Nagato still depends on controlling Yahiko," said Black Zetsu.

Obito's eye narrowed. "Then we move quickly. I'm tired of this rotten world."

His figure dissolved into the air.

"I've waited too long for this..." Zetsu muttered, vanishing as well.

The only thing left in the room was the oil lamp, flickering quietly.

…

Just outside Rain Village, Tonari came to a sudden stop.

He raised his hand and caught a few drops of rain.

His eyes narrowed. "Such faint chakra... It's Rain Tiger at Will Technique. Nagato, you really don't make things easy."

Without another word, he accelerated toward Rain Village, heading directly for the tallest building in Akatsuki's territory.

All the members who tried to stop him were swiftly taken down.

In no time, he reached the meeting room from before.

When he opened the door, all he saw was the massive round table, and the faint light of an oil lamp.

Its flame was flickering low, and the oil inside nearly used up.

Behind him, several Root members stood silently at the door.

Tonari slowly entered, placed a finger on the table, and walked a full circle around it.

His expression turned cold.

"Any Rain nin with ties to Akatsuki—kill them all."

"Yes, sir!"

The Root members vanished to carry out the order.

Today would be another day of chaos in the Rain Village.

Tonari approached the seat where Yahiko and Nagato had sat. Space warped around his left eye.

He reappeared in a cave outside Rain Village.

"You learned from last time, didn't you, Obito?" Tonari muttered.

So Akatsuki had still fallen under the influence of Obito and Black Zetsu.

He wasn't surprised, just disappointed.

"Since you've started moving, I won't show mercy."

Rain Village would be purged once more.

But to the rest of the world, this meant little.

Only the surrounding small nations like the Grass and River countries would quietly rejoice.

The glory of Rain Village, once built by Hanzo the Salamander, had officially come to an end.

Though he didn't encounter Nagato or Yahiko in person, Tonari confirmed one thing—

Akatsuki was still his primary enemy.

It was no longer a mystery. Knowing the enemy was half the battle won.

He'd feared Madara had been resurrected, but apparently not—either Black Zetsu was still waiting, or Obito had gone rogue.

Obito might believe he could perform Infinite Tsukuyomi without Madara.

Which suited Tonari just fine.

With Rain under full control again, he issued a new order to Root.

Locate all current Jinchūriki across the continent. Confirm their status and safety.

His main target: the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki—the last Tailed Beast he had yet to collect chakra from.

Having given his orders, Tonari left alone for the Land of Wind.

Though he had been to the Land of Wind several times, this was his first time approaching Sunagakure itself.

The desert village was uniquely situated.

Ordinary people could only enter by air or through a narrow pass known as Heaven's Line.

But Tonari had received an official invitation from Rasa.

When he arrived at the village gates, Rasa's gold sand caravan "just so happened" to be returning from a mission.

Tonari boarded without drawing attention and entered Sunagakure quietly.

He had no interest in stirring up resentment among the villagers—many of whom likely blamed Konoha for their postwar struggles.

He sat inside the wind-powered cart, looking out at the village.

Compared to Konoha, it felt... small.

Not in size, but in vitality.

Rasa noticed Tonari's smile and asked, "Something amusing, Tonari-kun?"

Tonari quickly masked his amusement. "Just noticing how peaceful your people look. It seems the end of the war has brought some stability here."

Rasa chuckled. "And here I thought you were going to say we pale in comparison to Konoha."

Tonari coughed. "How could I say something like that? I'm here not just to help you reinforce Gaara's seal, but also to discuss something important, officially as Hokage."

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Let's deal with Gaara's seal first."

"Understood."

They fell silent for the rest of the ride, until they reached Rasa's estate in the heart of the village.

As soon as they stepped inside, two children rushed to greet them—a sturdy boy with purple markings on his face, and a blonde girl with doll-like features.

"Father, you're back!"

Rasa's normally stern face softened as he patted their heads.

"This is my son, Kankurō, and my daughter, Temari," he said to Tonari.

He turned to the children. "This is your father's friend. Say hello to Uncle Tonari."

"Call me big brother," Tonari corrected immediately.

The children exchanged a glance, then sweetly chimed, "Big brother Tonari!"

"Ha! Your kids are adorable, Rasa. They take after their mother, I hope."

With a flourish, Tonari summoned two blooming flowers from seeds in his palm and handed them to the children.

Kankurō and Temari's eyes sparkled.

"Thank you, big brother Tonari!"

Then Temari tugged on Tonari's pant leg. "We have a little brother too. Can you make one for him?"

Smiling, Tonari conjured a third flower and gave it to her.

She and Kankurō ran off happily.

Behind them, Rasa stood silently.

This wasn't what he wanted.

The more bonded his children became, the less useful Gaara would be.

In Rasa's mind, the only path to controlling the One-Tail's power was through hatred.

Affection would only get in the way.

Which was why, starting today, Gaara would no longer live in the same house.

Rasa had decided—his brother-in-law Yashamaru would raise Gaara alone.

It was the only way to sever the ties of love.

He said nothing to Tonari, simply nodded and began leading him upstairs toward Gaara's room.

---

Read up to 20 chapter ahead of time on patreon.com/Legendryweeb

{please give this novel 5 Star review and power stone}

*Thank you*